State: no arrests in rotunda protests, but thousands spent for chalk removal

Madison -- For the second time this week, Capitol police did not make any arrests in connection with the daily solidarity sing-along.

Wednesday, like Monday, was quiet because a permit was taken out for the demonstration in the rotunda -- something the great majority of the singers have refused to do.

At noon Wednesday, the group of protesters split with some staying inside the rotunda and others going outside, citing their standard practice of making way for other events with permits.

“It’s a bunch of crap, it’s bogus,” said protester Irving Smith of the permit, arguing that the permit was not taken out by a regular of the sing-along.

The source of the permit was a cause of some confusion. A copy of the permit released by Stephanie Marquis, spokesperson at the Department of Administration, showed that the permit to sing protest songs was taken out by Elliot Doren, a man from Saint Paul, Minn., who took out the permit on behalf of the “Solidarity Singers."

Not applying for a permit has been one of the main features of the daily protesters who say they should not need a permit because their free speech is protected under the Constitution.

A recent federal judge’s ruling struck down some new DOA rules for demonstrations in state buildings, but left in place state permitting rules in the Capitol for groups over 20. The result has been almost a month of daily arrests that have often added up to 20 citations during the lunch hour.

Between July 24 and Aug. 6, about 125 citations were given out relating to the protests. Almost all of them were for assembling without a permit.

The state Department of Administration has not yet responded to an open records request by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel seeking the cost of any potential police overtime associated with the arrests, saying for the moment that "minimal overtime or other expenses have been incurred."

But DOA officials did volunteer its figures on the cost of removing graffiti and chalk slogans that protesters have been writing on the sidewalks of the Capitol square since March of 2011. The DOA said they have had to spend about $12,800 to remove the chalk marks, though that spending may include salaries for existing staff that would have been paid out regardless.

Since the massive labor protests of 2011, protesters have written slogans criticizing Walker and Republicans, often in harsh language, on the sidewalks around the Capitol building.